I always used a dog door to a fenced yard for my rhodesian ridgebacks, but my current beagle mix is absolutely beagle about the yard and has found every gap in the fence. So she stays in -no dog door for her.
Paula
Our four dogs stay outside while we’re gone. We have the porch outfitted with shade cloth that also keeps it dry, and dog beds galore. Unless it’s over 100 or under 40, they stay outside when we’re not home. I used to leave them in when it rained, but we have one dog we don’t trust. They want to go outside. Our littlest dog even stays out there when we’re home.
Where I live there are wild creatures that a fence does not protect dogs from, including people who steal dogs for pitt bait.
No way would I leave mine out when I was gone or even when I wasn’t also outside to keep an eye on them.
[QUOTE=Bristol Bay;7932464]
Our four dogs stay outside while we’re gone. We have the porch outfitted with shade cloth that also keeps it dry, and dog beds galore. Unless it’s over 100 or under 40, they stay outside when we’re not home. I used to leave them in when it rained, but we have one dog we don’t trust. They want to go outside. Our littlest dog even stays out there when we’re home.[/QUOTE]
This sounds like an ideal setup, where they have the comforts of “inside” while still being outside. Lucky dogs!
We leave one dog out, no fence, he lays on the front porch all day. The other one goes in a kennel as she would go who knows where if out.
I have a “securely” fenced yard that my dog has been able to escape from more than once…so I’m in the “no way” camp. I would be willing to leave my dog in a kennel with an indoor/outdoor option but not just in a fenced yard. With enough time and enough motivation I think many dogs could find their way out and/or something could find a way in.
live on a secluded farm with 3 dogs, they are out all day every day. were I in a subdivision, I wouldn’t have 3 dogs 
My dogs are out all day with a wireless fence system. I do live at the end of a dirt road, so I don’t have to worry about other people, and we have a big back porch (20 x 20) and they have a house and dog blankets that they mostly drag around the yard. My older dog probably wouldn’t mind staying in on his blanket all day, but the younger one would bounce off the walls and probably chew on the walls or something.
[QUOTE=S1969;7932500]
With enough time and enough motivation I think many dogs could find their way out and/or something could find a way in.[/QUOTE]
I totally agree with this. As I said, my dog has not ever challenged the fence I have, but she’s never had any reason to either. She is at the door barking to come in within 5 minutes of anyone coming inside, and I would worry that if I just left her out there, all day, with no way for her to get in, she would find a way out of the yard. But that’s how she’s been raised in my household; someone has always been here for her at her every whim (except when we’re not, and she’s been crate trained for those times).
She could have turned out to be a very different dog if someone else raised her. And she could have been just as happy and well-adjusted in that type of household. She’s a hunting breed, so she could have ended up with a hunting family situation where her life could have been completely different than mine. And maybe she would have been just as happy, but in a different way.
I’ve done it with SOME dogs in my old situation, not every day or regularly, and certainly not some of the dogs… but the house I’m going to has 14 acres but no fence and a neighbor within shouting distance, so I won’t consider it (definitely not without a physical fence, even so with neighbors, Ehh).
I think it’d depend on the dog and the location. My friend’s husky WANTED to be outside and hated being cooped up indoors when no one was home. My parents’ cocker spaniel is offended if you want her to go outside when it is raining. (She does, but with many dirty looks so you know you are failing by being unable to control the weather.)
Provided the location was sensible for it, my ideal would be a securely fenced yard with a dog door - let the dog be in or out as it wants to be. My current house is probably okay for that - not an area where someone could easily steal a dog, plus access to the yard that would be fenced in is highly limited.
They are in the house with me when I’m home, but when I’m gone, they are outside. Of course, my yard is 7 acres, fenced.
When I go out of town, they are out 24/7. (The guy who feeds the horses feeds them.) They don’t even leave when deliveries come inside the gate. They know where they want to be!
I have one dog who is not reliably housebroken (former puppy mill dog), so she can’t stay in the house unsupervised, the other two choose to go outside when I do - they don’t want to be inside!
We have a dog door and a fenced yard. One of the dogs has access to the dog yard most of the time. We are pretty secluded. We are the end of a cul-de-sac and all the houses are on 2 acres. The neighbors all know the dogs. Not much likelyhood of dog snatching.
Both dogs are chipped. We do lock them in the house if we are going to be gone much after dark. The dogs tend to bark at the fox, coons, stray cats etc… and bother the neighbors. We try to be considerate.
[QUOTE=ynl063w;7932397]
ETA: Abbie.S, I’m really not even sure what you meant by the above statement. Are you saying that my dog would be better off left outside unattended all day long, but since it would make me unhappy, it’s ok that I keep her inside even though others wouldn’t?[/QUOTE]
Don’t think so much That particular comment was a harmless response to the statement you made about the fact that, while your dog likely would do nothing in your absence, you would worry all the same about them if you left them out unattended. Nothing wrong with that. I find we as people tend to keep our animals based on what we feel most comfortable with: that isn’t “OK” or “not OK” one way or the other, simply an observation.
Wow, I didn’t realize this was an issue. Our dogs are out in the backyard all day, every day. We live in suburban SF Bay Area, have a yard with 7’ fences, a covered patio, dog house, dog beds. They hang outside and run around. They are in the house when we are here and sleep in the bed, but seem really happy in the yard all day.
We are really horrible people and left them in the yard for 2 weeks on vacation!! Our neighbors took care of them and said they were very good and happy…
Growing up we always left the dogs out in good weather. We never had any problems and the dogs seemed to enjoy it. My old sheltie thrived outside and hated staying inside no matter the weather.
My current sheltie doesn’t go outside without supervision. My area is known for bears and mountain lions so I don’t feel safe leaving him out. Plus he is a total wimp and hates to be outside, so I don’t feel that bad leaving him in.
IMO leaving them out is better than shutting them in a kennel for the day.
I personally would not but many people do, even an unfenced yard.
We relocated to rural TN this spring and dogs here are treated very differently from the Northeast. My neighbors have commented about when I am going to let my dogs run free, which will never happen. We do live on a one lane, tar and chip, dead end road, but because we are so rural also have an pretty good sized population of snakes and coyotes. My dogs only go outside with me and are inside if we are not home. The same neighbors have also told me they have lost more than one dog to a snake bite, which in my mind is preventable.
My dogs are members of my family and I would never let my child play outside unattended so I would not let my dogs either!
Yeah, I didn’t realize, either. I wouldn’t even consider leaving a dog in all day. They’re dogs. They’ve always been outside, and sometimes inside when home.
One reason for dogs is security–better than any alarm. Especially where I live now, I want people hearing a dog bark. The evil Beagle is useless as an actual guard dog, but he has a scary bark. The yard is Beagle proof, they have a covered porch with lots of beds, a chaise lounge, a kennel, and a whole yard to patrol and plenty of people and squirrels to bark at. The Beagle won’t even come in at night on warm nights.
I can’t imagine any larger dog wanting to be inside all day by themselves. There’s much more to do outside. And the thought of leaving the Beagle unattended? My cupboards would be empty, my catboxes cleaned out. He’s under major supervison when he’s in.
I do the same on vacation. The dogs can stay outside and be fine.
Mine have run of the house and a dog door to run of the yard all day. I worried a lot at first, especially in a new house with new neighbors, but then I got over it. I put my efforts into making the yard as secure as possible and everything ended up ok. This has been my system for 12 years, no problems and my dogs are, presumably happy and behaved to my satisfaction. My carpet, on the other hand, well, let’s just say this system saves me from ever considering spending the money to replace it.
When you work irregular hours and are routinely gone for 9 hour stretches, there really aren’t a lot of perfect options. I could pay for a daily dog walker but I’m not in that sort of income bracket. I won’t lock them in and expect them to hold it that long and I won’t do a potty pad thing. I can’t imagine owning dogs without having a dog door and I’m surprised they are not more common.
Edited to say I live in a small suburban neighborhood on a 60x lot.
[QUOTE=SonnysMom;7932588]
We have a dog door and a fenced yard. [/QUOTE]
Me too; live in a rural area. I would hate to make my old girl hold it all day while I’m at work.
